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Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Book Boost Blogger of the Year Nominee: C.J. Ellisson

Enter to win the 2010 Book Boost Prize Bundle & meet our next Blogger of the Year Award Nominee!

We are back with the next of our carefully selected FIVE guest bloggers from 2010 nominated for the First Annual Book Boost Blogger of the Year Award!

The second nominee is Urban Fantasy author C.J. Ellisson who joins us today to discuss her nominated book Vampire Vacation.

I read this entire book in only two sittings. Why so quickly? Because (1) it leaves you breathless with anticipation of what will happen next and (2) it is a highly addictive dose of sex and drama.Ms. Ellisson, with her debut novel, was not afraid to stretch the genre boundaries between romance, paranormal, mystery, and urban fantasy to create a delicious concoction of murder mayhem and dark desires.

One of the things I enjoyed most about the book is what makes it so uniquely different than the norm for romance. It features a happily married couple as the main love story. While some mystery books and general fiction books do this with much more frequency—you’ll be hard pressed to find this in genre romance. This is why her novel doesn’t fit tucked neatly into one genre and all the more reason why it will be enjoyed by a larger audience in the long run.

Romance has become all about finding that new love. That first kiss…first roll between the sheets and the sexual tension leading up to those encounters. But who says that a book about an already married couple (whether human or vampire) cannot be just as titillating to the reader?

This book gives you a glimpse inside the lives of vampire Vivian and her human husband. It is well crafted, totally unique, and a non-stop thrill ride from beginning to end.

If I were to visit Alaska would I want to take a tour of the VV Inn? Absolutely. If I were a vampire would I want to journey there for a sexcapade? No doubt.

Would I recommend this book to others? Enthusiastically.

Bottom line: This book will take you places that you’ve never been but hope to visit again very soon. Bring on the sequel!

Here’s more about Vampire Vacation:

Meet Vivian. She's a 580-year-old vampire who exudes sex, has a talent for drama, and is passionate about two things: her human husband, Rafe, and their resort for the undead. Her ability to project physical illusions has created the perfect vacation spot-a dark, isolated Alaskan hideaway where visitors can have their wildest fantasies come true.

Vivian knows the best performance requires perfect timing, but the powerful vamp is put to the test when she discovers a corpse in a locked guestroom minutes before the next arrivals. Always cool-headed, Rafe hides the body, convinced that he and Vivian can find the culprit without disturbing their guests.

Juggling the increasingly outrageous demands of their customers while tracking a killer isn't easy. Will their poking and prodding give them the answers they need, or will it uncover secrets that Vivian would kill to protect?

Recently, I chatted with CJ and here's what she had to say...

TBB: What was the most difficult aspect of this book?

CJ: Staying the course with my present tense writing. I was told by my peers to change it and I didn't know enough to decide whom to listen to.

TBB: Is there a message in your book that you hope readers will really get?

CJ: I wanted people to see true intimacy comes with time, not in a slapped-together quick I-met-you-this-month romance. Hot monogamy takes years to achieve. The good news is, it's fun years ;-)

TBB: What has been your favorite fan letter or fan comment ever?

CJ: From one of my oldest friends and staunchest supporters. She wrote this to me the morning after she completed my book: "Sometime last night you went from my friend who wrote a book, to an author I couldn't put down." Still gives me a shiver when I read it.

TBB: Give me one quote (from yourself/by yourself) about being a writer.

CJ: "You're not done until it's published."

TBB: Who, in your life, is your biggest source of inspiration and why?

CJ: My husband. Whether I steal funny one-liners we banter back and forth, imagine him as the suave and debonair hero I write, or need a calm force in my hectic life to rely on, it's him. He truly compliments the inner me and I go back and forth between thinking he's my savior or put on this earth to drive me slowly insane.

TBB: What is your favorite breakfast food?

CJ: Eggs, bacon and home-fried potatoes.

TBB: Name of the first boy you ever kissed.

CJ: Scottie Morgan in first grade (I think? Geez, I swear I'm not a ho).

TBB: If someone wrote a biography about you, what should the title be?

CJ: Crazy Bitch: Works Long Hours

TBB: Thanks for joining us at the Book Boost, CJ and best of luck with this nomination and your future writing!

DON'T Forget to come back on February 4th when VOTING will commence for your choice of Book Boost Blogger of the Year!

AND everyone who comments on any of the 5 nominee blog posts will be entered to win the HUGE 2010 Book Boost Prize Bundle! Every comment counts as 1 entry! So, visit and comment often for more chances to win.

See you again on January 17th (next Monday) for our next nominee, Maya Jax!